Thursday, June 28, 2007

I believe I can flyI believe I can touch the skyI think about it every night and daySpread my wings and fly awayI believe I can soarI see me running through that open doorI believe I can flyI believe I can flyI believe I can fly

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Human-sized, muscular penguins with enormous beaks thrived in sunny Peru 36 million years ago, according to a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Standing at 5 feet tall, Icadyptes salasi was preceded in Peru by yet another newly identified penguin species, Perudyptes devriesi, which lived there 42 million years ago and was about the same size (3 feet tall) as modern king penguins.

Since both were among the world's earliest known penguins, they represent an evolutionary stage somewhere between flying, winged birds and the waddling, flippered penguins of today.

Friday, June 22, 2007

We all have an image of penguins gliding on ice at the South Pole -- images that come from childhood. But contrary to popular belief penguins live beyond Antarctica, and can be found in New Zealand, southern Africa, and South America. While some species have adapted to life in regions that reach 100 degrees below zero others are comfortable in temperatures 100 degrees above. The classic tuxedoed penguins are found in Antarctica, along with the largest, the Emperor penguins, while Jackass penguins flourish in Namibia and South Africa and Humboldts live on a desert landscape near the coasts of Peru and Chile.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Build-a-Bear Cody MaverickNow you can make the star of the new movie Surf's Up™.This Beary Limited™ edition Collectifriend™ comes with a Big Z shell-shaped medallion around his neck.

Build-A-Bear Workshop(R) is making waves nationwide this summer with the debut of its latest plush movie star, Cody Maverick, the penguin hero of Sony Pictures Animation's animated action-comedy, Surf's Up, in theaters June 8th.

Build-A-Bear Workshop Guests can get a head start by stopping in stores now to make their own Cody and then dress him in summer and surf-themed clothing. The surfing penguin retails for $22 and his outfits range in price from $4 to $10. Guests can surf over to www.buildabear.com to take a peek at Cody and his clothing.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Although not literally. That happened in a 1970 Monty Python sketch but is not known to occur in nature.

Instead, the small, flightless birds are invading pop culture with a chilling precision. They are taking no prisoners, if only because their lack of opposable thumbs makes it difficult to manipulate a Taser.

The latest evidence: "Surf's Up," an animated movie that documents how penguins invented and perfected the sport of surfing.

The penguin presence has been obvious in lots of other forms as well, from computer games to TV shows to comic strips. In many of these, the birds, no matter what type - Adelies or emperors, chinstraps or macaronis - are fussed over as lovable, cuddly and life-affirming, like Buddha reincarnated as a Beanie Baby.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

i-Penguin: "I Believe I Can Fly, I don't need an IceBurg Fly!!"The i-Penguin can Dance with Music on your desk. Colorful Light Effect will glow up on the Tummy of the Penguin to show their feeling.You can hook i-Penguin with music player, like IPOD, MP3 Player, or your PC through audio input jack.(via)

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

At 8 weeks old, the baby penguin that flaunted its brilliant coat of indigo-colored feathers at the New England Aquarium is already full grown. The foot-tall bird weighed 2 to 3 pounds, and it will not get any bigger, no matter how many herring and smelt it eats.

That's how the species, which is the tiniest in the world, earned the name little blue penguins. The aquarium has not determined the gender of the baby or given it a name.

The chick hatched April 6 from a golf-ball-size egg and had been kept separate from the other 60 penguins on exhibit, which include the 2-foot-tall African and rockhopper penguins. The pint-size little blues hail from Australia and New Zealand and make up for their small stature with loud barks, chirps, and squeaks.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Guy Demmert got quite a surprise when he hauled a fishing net into his boat off the coast of southeast Alaska in July 2002. There among the salmon, in living black and white, was a Humboldt penguin, thousands of miles from where any of its kind should have been.

So how is it that birds that swim rather than fly and live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere turned up deep into the Northern Hemisphere? Did they migrate more than 5,000 miles from Peru? That's doubtful, say two University of Washington biologists. Were they the remnants of efforts to introduce breeding penguin colonies into the Northern Hemisphere? Probably not. Did they escape from zoos? Not likely.

The most probable explanation is that the creatures were hauled aboard boats – probably fishing boats -- in southern waters and were kept by the crews as the vessels traveled far to the north, then were released, concludes a new research paper by Dee Boersma, a UW biology professor noted for her penguin studies, and Amy Van Buren, a UW doctoral student in biology.

"The crews keep the penguins as pets on board the boat. They're appealing," said Van Buren. "People keep them around because they're so cute."(via)

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

On the frigid airfield of McMurdo Station in Antarctica, the crews who keep the 109th Airlift Wing's giant cargo planes flying for their daily supply missions to the South Pole tend to be all business.

But even seasoned veterans of Operation Deep Freeze took pause and scrambled for their cameras one Saturday when a platoon of emperor penguins waddled onto the ice runway at McMurdo, the logistics hub for the National Science Foundation in Antarctica.

"Out of nowhere, they just started walking across the line," recalled Master Sgt. Tom Flynn, the crew chief for one of several CL-130 ski planes based at Stratton Air National Guard Base that fly the polar missions. "Everybody was surprised to see them. It brought everyone out of the shop to take pictures."

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

The Penguin Keeper highlights the challenges and fun involved in caring for loveable, unusual penguins at the Tennessee Aquarium. The penguins are a new exhibit and a new experience, not only for visitors, but the staff as well.

Monday, June 4, 2007

Sunday, June 3, 2007

From at least 1.5 million a century ago, the African penguin's numbers have dwindled to 120,000 at most, experts say.A century ago, at least 1.5 million African penguins waddled and swam the coasts of Namibia and South Africa. Today they are largely confined to a sprinkling of islands off South Africa's tip, including Robben Island, famous as the site of Nelson Mandela's long imprisonment.

Experts say there are 120,000 at most.

That number is plunging. Since 2001, the number of adult penguins in the two largest colonies - on Robben Island and Dassen Island, about 65 kilometers, or 40 miles, north - has plummeted by almost 60 percent, to fewer than 18,000.

"At the moment, the penguins are in real trouble," said Underhill, a statistics expert at the University of Cape Town and vice president of the International Ornithological Committee. "There have been population movements like this in the past. But this one seems particularly extreme."

Friday, June 1, 2007

Surf’s Up Inspired Flavors

Let your taste buds ride the wave of extreme flavor! Baskin-Robbins brings you refreshing summer treats in flavors inspired by Sony Pictures’ Surf’s Up. You’ll enjoy the delicious pairing of mondo flavors to keep your summer sweet. Stop by from 5/29 – 8/19 and scoop up these limited time flavors. From the beach to the pool, these refreshing treats will help make your summer chill.

And be sure to try your favorite flavor in our awesome Penguin Cone—frosted with an adorable penguin.

Flavors of the Month

Penguin Swirl: Step up the flavor when you enjoy a sweet swirl of luscious Mixed Berry ice cream combined with our delectable Tutti Fruiti ice. Lick by lick you’ll find your mouth turning black just like a penguin—what could be more fun!

Splish Splash™: You won’t be blue when you indulge yourself with a refreshing blend of Blue Raspberry sherbet swirled with scrumptious Blueberry ice.